Cydia

It isn't news, but its making headlines this weekend: Verizon doesn't like AT&T... or Apple.

And, frankly, Verizon wants us to know it. Consequently, it seems Verizon is behind the launch of what some are calling a blatant "attack ad" on the iPhone that rivals some of the worst political attack ads we've seen in recent years.

“Droid” is going to be a Verizon-owned brand. It’s purportedly a Motorola-manufactured phone, but Verizon is the licensee of the “Droid” trademark. (Which name, by the way, strikes me as the perfect name for an Android OS phone — sort of implicitly establishes it as the Android phone.) That’s the big thing. Verizon doesn’t see itself as a mere carrier for other companies’ phones. It sees itself as being bigger than the phones. It’s Verizon-vs.-Apple in this spot, not Verizon-vs.-AT&T.

No matter which carrier is behind an "attack ad," I hate to see competition devolve into mudslinging, which is exactly what the "iDevice" mockery add truly is. Instead of emphasizing the quality attributes of a handset or its carrier, this campaign resorts to little more than simply degrading a competitor.

So what can we glean from these ads? Call me crazy but if Apple should allow their exclusivity deal with AT&T to expire, it's unlikely that the iPhone will find a home at Verizon any time soon.